Greetings! I hope everyone is doing well. Thank you for praying for me and for the work God is doing in Colombia and throughout the world. Prayer is a vital part of the missionary task. May the word of Christ continue to speed ahead to every tribe, nation, people, and tongue.
This past month, I have been meeting with “Mike,” a Puinave man from Guainía, near the Venezuelan border. He, his wife, and one year old daughter have moved back to the super small, one room apartment after a month living in larger place for less money on the far southeastern edge of town. That place became no longer available. Live is difficult for them as they try to eke out a living. I have continued to meet with him to study Scripture. Pray that my visits with him and his family will be fruitful.
Please continue to pray for my friend “Ted.” He lives in a shelter where he can get some physical needs taken care of. He still deals with depression since his wife passed. He often just needs someone to just be with him. I am meeting with hime once or twice a week to talk and read Scripture together. Pray that I can show him the peace that Christ can give.
I am also meeting with the Wounaan once a week. We are still making our way through Ephesians discussing the glorious gospel of what Christ has done for us and how we should walk in light of what Christ has done. At times, it’s just me a “Silas,” and sometimes others are there too. Silas will often translate our discussions of the text into Woumeo. Pray that the Word will do its work to save the lost and sanctify believers.
Continue to pray for the Embera Katío and Embera Chamí. I have started an English class with one Katío as an entry. Other Katío have expressed a desire to be involved too, but have not yet joined.
Again, thank you for your prayers. Prayer is vital to the missionary task. Grace and peace to you all. May each one of you be blessed with the grace and mercy found in Jesus Christ.
Mark 8:27-34
27 Jesus went out, along with His disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way He questioned His disciples, saying to them, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 They told Him, saying, “John the Baptist; and others say Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” 29 And He continued questioning them: “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the Christ.” 30 And He warned them to tell no one about Him.
31 And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise from the dead. 32 And He was stating the matter plainly. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.33 But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God’s purposes, but on man’s.”
34 And He summoned the crowd together with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.
Who Jesus is is a crucial question. Jesus asked His disciple what people thought concerning who He was. Then, He asked the disciples. After Peter rightly answered that Jesus was the promised Messiah, Jesus began to explain what that meant, namely, that He would suffer many things, be rejected by the religious leaders, die, and rise again after three days.
At this point, the disciples didn’t understand what the mission of the Messiah was. They and the people were expecting a political leader who would overthrow Rome not a Suffering Servant (Isa 53:1-12) who would conquer sin, Satan, and the grave. This is the reason for Jesus’ warning not to tell anyone lest they try to make Him king (John 6:15) and for his strong words to Peter’s rebuke. (After the resurrection, Jesus gave us the Great Commission, so now we are to go and proclaim who He is and what He’s done for us).
His mission was to be crucified as if He were a criminal in order to bear the wrath of God in our place. But that is often not the Christ people want. Many prefer a life coach or someone to give them health and prosperity or any number of different things other than Christ crucified. Our only hope is Christ and Him crucified for our sins. To follow Christ means to deny oneself, abandoning all hope in any of one’s own efforts to earn God’s favor (Phil 3:1-11). Christ and Christ alone is our righteousness.
Just as our Lord came as a Suffering Servant, so to His church is a suffering church until He returns. But in the face of suffering, the gospel continues to spread throughout the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment